ACCRA, Ghana — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet Monday with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, a present of assist for the West African chief who’s dealing with rising discontent over inflation and recent issues about regional safety.

Harris is simply starting a weeklong journey to the continent that may also take her to Tanzania and Zambia, a part of a concerted effort to broaden U.S. outreach at a time when China and Russia have entrenched pursuits of their very own in Africa.

Akufo-Addo oversaw one of many world’s fast-growing economies earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, the price of meals and different requirements has been skyrocketing, and the nation is dealing with a debt disaster because it struggles to make funds.

As well as, sporadic combating has elevated in Ghana’s north, which borders the extra tumultuous nation of Burkina Faso and the Sahel, a area the place native offshoots of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been working.

“Ghana is experiencing a really powerful second,” stated Rama Yade, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Middle.

The US has despatched troops to coach militaries from Ghana and different international locations in hopes of bolstering their defenses. Nonetheless, different international locations have turned to the Russian mercenary drive generally known as Wagner, which has been on the entrance strains of the battle in Ukraine but in addition has a presence in Africa.

Wagner started working in Mali, which ousted French troops based mostly there, and there are issues that it’ll additionally deploy to Burkina Faso, the place France additionally ended its army presence. Ghana lately accused Burkina Faso’s leaders, which took energy in a coup final yr, of already turning to Wagner for assist, one thing Akufo-Addo stated could be “unsettling.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken lately visited Niger, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso, to announce extra help for the area.

“We’ve seen international locations discover themselves weaker, poorer, extra insecure, much less unbiased because of the affiliation with Wagner,” he stated.

Though China’s affect in Africa has been a number one concern for U.S. overseas coverage, Russia’s personal makes an attempt to make inroads has alarmed Washington as properly. Some international locations have longstanding ties relationship again to the Soviet period.

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian overseas minister, has made a number of journeys to the continent in an effort to point out that the West has didn’t isolate Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

“The Russians are persevering with to make the primary transfer in Africa, and the U.S. is continuous to play catch-up,” stated Samuel Ramani, affiliate fellow on the Royal United Providers Institute, a London-based protection and safety assume tank.

“It’s actually unclear how Russia will actually be capable of increase its affect in the long run,” he added. “However within the quick time period, they’re creating goodwill for themselves.”

Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a world danger intelligence firm, stated Moscow’s general investments in Africa “are very modest” in comparison with Washington, however provides that it has been in a position to leverage anti-Western sentiment in some areas of the continent.

“The Ukraine battle has boosted Africa’s significance in worldwide politics and elevated geopolitical jostling amongst international powers for the assist of its governments and nations,” he stated.

U.S. officers have steered away from framing their method by way of international rivalries, one thing that would swiftly bitter Africans who’re cautious of being caught within the center.

“They continue to be cautious about turning into collateral injury to geopolitical competitors by repeating the identical errors of the Chilly Warfare period,” Durmaz stated.

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Mednick reported from Dakar, Senegal.